Busting Brackets
Fansided

Mountain West Basketball: Final Team Grades and Rankings for 2017-18

By Tristan Freeman

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Head coach Brian Dutcher of the San Diego State Aztecs celebrates after cutting down the net the team victory over the New Mexico Lobos after the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Head coach Brian Dutcher of the San Diego State Aztecs celebrates after cutting down the net the team victory over the New Mexico Lobos after the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
BOISE, ID – NOVEMBER 30: Guard Chandler Hutchison
BOISE, ID – NOVEMBER 30: Guard Chandler Hutchison /

5. Wyoming Cowboys 20-13 (10-8)

2017-18 postseason result: None

Season Grade: C+

After that thrilling double-overtime win against Nevada, there was a chance that the Cowboy’s home-court advantage could play into the Mountain West title race. Problem was that their scoring defense was one of the worst in the country, ranked 317th out of 351.

That can be a bit misleading, as Wyoming had a division one-leading nine extra overtime periods to deal with. Weirdly enough, they were 6-0 in those games. It was just the regular season battles they struggled with.

4. Boise State Broncos 23-9 (13-5)

2017-18 postseason result: NIT First Round

Season Grade: B+

After all the production Boise State lost a year ago, a slight step backwards wouldn’t have been too unexpected. But thanks to the statistical MVP of the Mountain West in Chandler Hutchison, the Broncos were the No. 1 contender to Nevada for the league crown.

They couldn’t beat the Wolf Pack, and suffered a bad loss in the conference tournament to Utah State to eliminate any hopes they had. Boise State slips in the rankings because of the rise of other programs, but it doesn’t take away what head coach Leon Rice and company accomplished.

3. New Mexico Lobos 19-15 (12-6)

2017-18 postseason result: None

Season Grade: A

Picked to finish near the bottom of the Mountain West, the Lobos went 3-8 to start the season, including getting swept by rival New Mexico State in the non-conference.

Yet something happened once conference play started for New Mexico, with everything clicking. They started out 6-3, and only lost one league game at home. Although it was an experienced roster, the talent was perceived to be lacking. Turned out that with a touch of new coaching, those players would become big problems for the rest of the league to deal with.